Item 1A. Risk Factors
ITEM 1A.
RISK FACTORS
Our business, financial condition, operating
results and prospects are subject to the following risks. Additional risks and uncertainties not presently foreseeable to us may
also impair our business operations. If any of the following risks or the risks described elsewhere in this report actually occurs,
our business, financial condition or operating results could be materially adversely affected. In such case, the trading price
of our common stock could decline, and our stockholders may lose all or part of their investment in the shares of our common stock.
This Form 10-K contains forward-looking statements
that involve risks and uncertainties. These statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as “believes,”
“expects,” “intends,” “plans,” “may,” “will,” “should,”
“predict” or “anticipation” or the negative thereof or other variations thereon or comparable terminology.
Actual results could differ materially from those discussed in the forward- looking statements as a result of certain factors,
including those set forth below and elsewhere in this Form 10-K.
Risks Relating to Our Business and Industry
We have no products approved for commercial
sale, have never generated any revenues and may never achieve revenues or profitability, which could cause us to cease operations.
We have no products approved for commercial sale and, to date, we
have not generated any revenues. Our ability to generate revenue depends heavily on (a) successful development program and thereafter
demonstration in human clinical trials that BIV201, our product candidate, is safe and effective; (b) our ability to seek and obtain
regulatory approvals, including, without limitation, with respect to the indications we are seeking; (c) successful commercialization
of our product candidates; and (d) market acceptance of our products. There are no assurances that we will achieve any of the forgoing
objectives. Furthermore, our product candidate is in the development stage, and we have not evaluated it in full human clinical
trials. If we do not successfully develop and commercialize our product candidate we will not achieve revenues or profitability
in the foreseeable future, if at all. If we are unable to generate revenues or achieve profitability, we may be unable to continue
our operations.
We are a development stage company with a limited operating
history, making it difficult for you to evaluate our business and your investment.
BioVie Inc. was incorporated on April 10, 2013.
We are a development stage biopharmaceutical company with a potential therapy that has not been fully evaluated in clinical trials,
and our operations are subject to all of the risks inherent in the establishment of a new business enterprise, including but not
limited to the absence of an operating history, the lack of commercialized products, insufficient capital, expected substantial
and continual losses for the foreseeable future, limited experience in dealing with regulatory issues, the lack of manufacturing
experience and limited marketing experience, possible reliance on third parties for the development and commercialization of our
proposed products, a competitive environment characterized by numerous, well-established and well capitalized competitors and reliance
on key personnel.
Since inception, we have not established any
revenues or operations that shall provide financial stability in the long term, and there can be no assurance that we will realize
our plans on our projected timetable in order to reach sustainable or profitable operations.
Investors are subject to all the risks incident
to the creation and development of a new business and each investor should be prepared to withstand a complete loss of his, her
or its investment. Furthermore, the accompanying financial statements have been prepared assuming that we will continue as a going
concern. We have not emerged from the development stage, and may be unable to raise further equity. These factors raise substantial
doubt about its ability to continue as a going concern. The financial statements do not include any adjustments that might result
from the outcome of this uncertainty.
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Because we are subject to these risks, you
may have a difficult time evaluating our business and your investment in our Company. Our ability to become profitable depends
primarily on our ability to develop drugs, to obtain approval for such drugs, and if approved, to successfully commercialize our
drugs, our research and development (“R&D”) efforts, including the timing and cost of clinical trials; and our
ability to enter into favorable alliances with third-parties who can provide substantial capabilities in clinical development,
regulatory affairs, sales, marketing and distribution.
Even if we successfully develop and market
BIV201, we may not generate sufficient or sustainable revenue to achieve or sustain profitability, which could cause us to cease
operations and cause you to lose all of your investment.
If the FDA or comparable foreign regulatory
authorities approve generic versions of any of our products that receive marketing approval, or such authorities do not grant our
products appropriate periods of exclusivity before approving generic versions of our products, the sales of our products could
be adversely affected.
Once a new drug application (“NDA”)
is approved, the product covered thereby becomes a “reference listed drug” in the FDA’s publication, “Approved
Drug Products with Therapeutic Equivalence Evaluations,” commonly known as the Orange Book. Manufacturers may seek approval
of generic versions of reference listed drugs through submission of abbreviated new drug applications (“ANDAs”) in
the United States. In support of an ANDA, a generic manufacturer need not conduct clinical trials. Rather, the applicant generally
must show that its product has the same active ingredient(s), dosage form, strength, route of administration and conditions of
use or labeling as the reference listed drug and that the generic version is bioequivalent to the reference listed drug, meaning
it is absorbed in the body at the same rate and to the same extent. Generic products may be significantly less costly to bring
to market than the reference listed drug and companies that produce generic products are generally able to offer them at lower
prices. Thus, following the introduction of a generic drug, a significant percentage of the sales of any branded product or reference
listed drug is typically lost to the generic product.
The FDA may not approve an ANDA for a generic
product until any applicable period of non-patent exclusivity for the reference listed drug has expired. The United States Federal
Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (“FDCA”) provides a period of five years of non-patent exclusivity for a new drug containing
a new chemical entity (“NCE”). Specifically, in cases where such exclusivity has been granted, an ANDA may not be submitted
to the FDA until the expiration of five years unless the submission is accompanied by a Paragraph IV certification that a
patent covering the reference listed drug is either invalid or will not be infringed by the generic product, in which case the
applicant may submit its application four years following approval of the reference listed drug.
While we believe that BIV201 contains active
ingredients that would be treated as NCEs by the FDA and, therefore, if approved, should be afforded five years of data exclusivity,
the FDA may disagree with that conclusion and may approve generic products after a period that is less than five years. If the
FDA were to award NCE exclusivity to someone other than us, we believe that we would still be awarded three year “Other”
exclusivity protection from generic competition, which is awarded when an application or supplement contains reports of new clinical
investigations (not bioavailability studies) conducted or sponsored by an applicant and essential for approval. Manufacturers may
seek to launch these generic products following the expiration of the applicable marketing exclusivity period, even if we still
have patent protection for our product. If we do not maintain patent protection and data exclusivity for our product candidates,
our business may be materially harmed.
Competition that our products may face from
generic versions of our products could materially and adversely impact our future revenue, profitability and cash flows and substantially
limit our ability to obtain a return on the investments we have made in those product candidates.
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If we fail to
obtain or maintain Orphan Drug exclusivity for BIV201, we will have to rely on our data and marketing exclusivity, if any, and
on our intellectual property rights, which may reduce the length of time that we can prevent competitors from selling generic versions
of BIV201.
We have obtained Orphan Drug designation for
BIV201 in the U.S. for the treatment of hepatorenal syndrome (received November 21, 2018) and treatment of ascites due to all etiologies
except cancer (received September 8, 2016). Under the Orphan Drug Act, the FDA may designate a product as an Orphan Drug if it
is a drug intended to treat a rare disease or condition, defined, in part, as a patient population of fewer than 200,000 in the
U.S. In the EU, Orphan Drug designation may be granted to drugs intended to treat, diagnose or prevent a life-threatening or chronically
debilitating disease having a prevalence of no more than five in 10,000 people in the EU. The company that first obtains FDA approval
for a designated Orphan Drug for the associated rare disease receives marketing exclusivity for use of that drug for the stated
condition for a period of seven years. Orphan Drug exclusive marketing rights may be lost under several circumstances, including
a later determination by the FDA that the request for designation was materially defective or if the manufacturer is unable to
assure sufficient quantity of the drug. Similar regulations are available in the EU with a ten-year period of market exclusivity.
Even though BioVie has obtained two Orphan
Drug designations for its lead product candidate, there is no assurance that BioVie will be the first to obtain marketing approval
for any particular rare indication. Further, even though BioVie has obtained Orphan Drug designation for its lead product candidate,
or even if BioVie obtains Orphan Drug designation for other potential product candidates, such designation may not effectively
protect BioVie from competition because different drugs can be approved for the same condition and the same drug can be approved
for different conditions and potentially used off-label in the Orphan indication. Even after an Orphan Drug is approved, the FDA
can subsequently approve the same drug for the same condition for several reasons, including, if the FDA concludes that the later
drug is safer or more effective or makes a major contribution to patient care. Orphan Drug designation neither shortens the development
time or regulatory review time of a drug, nor gives the drug any advantage in the regulatory review or approval process.
In addition, other companies have received
Orphan Drug designations for terlipressin. Mallinckrodt Hospital Products IP Limited received Orphan Drug designation in 2004 for
terlipressin for the treatment of Hepatorenal Syndrome and Ferring Pharmaceuticals Inc. received Orphan Drug designation in 1986
for terlipressin for the treatment of bleeding esophageal varices. If Mallinckrodt Hospital Products IP Limited receives FDA approval
for terlipressin for the treatment of Hepatorenal Syndrome before we do, they may obtain a competitive advantage associated with
being the first to market. Further, in connection with obtaining marketing approval for terlipressin for the treatment of Hepatorenal
Syndrome, Mallinckrodt Hospital Products IP Limited would also obtain Orphan Drug exclusivity for terlipressin, that could prevent
our approval for the same indication for seven years, although we could continue to pursue other indications for the drug.
If Ferring Pharmaceuticals Inc. receives FDA
approval for terlipressin for the treatment of bleeding esophageal varices, they would also obtain a competitive advantage associated
with being the first to market. In connection with obtaining marketing approval for terlipressin for the treatment of bleeding
esophageal varices, Ferring Pharmaceuticals Inc. would also obtain Orphan Drug exclusivity for terlipressin, but we do not believe
that Orphan Drug exclusivity for Ferring Pharmaceuticals Inc.’s terlipressin product would have an adverse effect on our
ability to market BIV201, as the same drug would be approved for different indications under FDA rules, and we can maintain Orphan
Drug exclusivity for BIV201 for the different indication.
We will need to raise substantial additional
capital in the future to fund our operations and we may be unable to raise such funds when needed and on acceptable terms, which
could have a materially adverse effect on our business.
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Developing biopharmaceutical products, including
conducting pre-clinical studies and clinical trials and establishing manufacturing capabilities, requires substantial funding.
As of June 30, 2020, we had cash and cash equivalents of approximately $37,000. Although we entered into a Securities Purchase Agreement
on September 24, 2019 with our controlling stockholder regarding a bridge financing in the form of up to $2.0 million in convertible
debt and warrants, of which approximately $1.3 million has been drawn as of June 30, 2020, additional financing will be required
to fund the research and development of our product candidates. We have not generated any product revenues, and do not expect to
generate any revenues until, and only if, we develop, and receive approval to sell our product candidates from the FDA and other
regulatory authorities for our product candidates.
We may not have the resources to complete the
development and commercialization of any of our proposed product candidates. We will require additional financing to further the
clinical development of our product candidates. In the event that we cannot obtain the required financing, we will be unable to
complete the development necessary to file an NDA with the FDA for BIV201. This will delay research and development programs, preclinical
studies and clinical trials, material characterization studies, regulatory processes, the establishment of our own laboratory or
a search for third party marketing partners to market our products for us, which could have a materially adverse effect on our
business.
The amount of capital we may need will depend
on many factors, including the progress, timing and scope of our research and development programs, the progress, timing and scope
of our preclinical studies and clinical trials, the time and cost necessary to obtain regulatory approvals, the time and cost necessary
to establish our own marketing capabilities or to seek marketing partners, the time and cost necessary to respond to technological
and market developments, changes made or new developments in our existing collaborative, licensing and other commercial relationships,
and new collaborative, licensing and other commercial relationships that we may establish.
Until we can generate a sufficient amount of
product revenue, if ever, we expect to finance future cash needs, through public or private equity offerings, debt financings,
or corporate collaboration and licensing arrangements. Additional funds may not be available when we need them on terms that are
acceptable to us, or at all. If adequate funds are not available, we may be required to delay, reduce the scope of, or eliminate
one or more of our research or development programs or our commercialization efforts. In addition, we could be forced to discontinue
product development and reduce or forego attractive business opportunities. To the extent that we raise additional funds by issuing
equity securities, our stockholders may experience additional significant dilution, and debt financing, if available, may involve
restrictive covenants. To the extent that we raise additional funds through collaboration and licensing arrangements, it may be
necessary to relinquish some rights to our technologies or our product candidates, or grant licenses on terms that may not be favorable
to us. We may seek to access the public or private capital markets whenever conditions are favorable, even if we do not have an
immediate need for additional capital at that time.
Our fixed expenses, such as rent and other
contractual commitments, will likely increase in the future, as we may enter into leases for new facilities and capital equipment
and/or enter into additional licenses and collaborative agreements. Therefore, if we fail to raise substantial additional capital
to fund these expenses, we could be forced to cease operations, which could cause you to lose all of your investment.
We have limited experience in drug development
and may not be able to successfully develop any drugs, which would cause us to cease operations.
We have never successfully developed a new
drug and brought it to market. Our management and clinical teams have experience in drug development but they may not be able to
successfully develop any drugs. Our ability to achieve revenues and profitability in our business will depend on, among other things,
our ability to develop products internally or to obtain rights to them from others on favorable terms; complete laboratory testing
and human studies; obtain and maintain necessary intellectual property rights to our products; successfully complete regulatory
review to obtain requisite governmental agency approvals; enter into arrangements with third parties to manufacture our products
on our behalf; and enter into arrangements with third parties to provide sales and marketing functions. If we are unable to
achieve these objectives we will be forced to cease operations and you will lose all of your investment.
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Development of pharmaceutical products
is a time-consuming process, subject to a number of factors, many of which are outside of our control. Consequently, if we are
unsuccessful or fail to timely develop new drugs, we could be forced to discontinue our operations.
Our lead product candidate, BIV201, has been
cleared by the FDA to undergo testing in a mid-stage (Phase 2) clinical trial. On June 18, 2019, we met with representatives of
the FDA for Type C Guidance Meeting to plan our next clinical study following the recently completed Phase 2a clinical trial. We
discussed our clinical development program with the FDA and proposed safety and efficacy endpoints required for future marketing
approval. In September, the FDA granted our Type B meeting request and committed to providing feedback in early 2020 for our proposed
clinical trial design. We subsequently submitted a proposed clinical trial protocol to the FDA supported by a detailed meeting
information package. In April 2020, we received the FDA’s written response to our Type B meeting questions which required
changes to our clinical trial design. We then submitted a revised Phase 2 trial design and follow-up questions. In June, we announced
the receipt of further guidance from the FDA regarding the clinical trial design. Based on this guidance, the Company plans to
commence a randomized 24-patient Phase 2 study in 2020, to be followed by a larger pivotal Phase 3 clinical trial targeted to begin
in 2021.
Further development and extensive testing will
be required to determine its technical feasibility and commercial viability. Our success will depend on our ability to achieve
scientific and technological advances and to translate such advances into reliable, commercially competitive drugs on a timely
basis. Drugs that we may develop are not likely to be commercially available, at a minimum, for a few years, if ever. The proposed
development schedules for our product candidates may be affected by a variety of factors, including technological difficulties,
proprietary technology of others, and changes in government regulation, many of which will not be within our control. Any delay
in the development, introduction or marketing of our product candidates could result either in such drugs being marketed at a time
when their cost and performance characteristics would not be competitive in the marketplace or in the shortening of their commercial
lives. In light of the long-term nature of our projects and other risk factors described elsewhere in this document, we may not
be able to successfully complete the development or marketing of any drugs which could cause us to cease operations.
We may fail to successfully develop and commercialize
our product candidate(s) if it is found to be unsafe or ineffective in clinical trials; does not receive necessary approval from
the FDA or foreign regulatory agencies; fails to conform to a changing standard of care for the disease it seeks to treat; or is
less effective or more expensive than current or alternative treatment methods.
Drug development failure can occur at any stage
of clinical trials and as a result of many factors, there can be no assurance that we or our collaborators will reach our anticipated
clinical targets. Even if we or our collaborators complete our clinical trials, we do not know what the long-term effects of exposure
to our product candidates will be. Furthermore, our product candidates may be used in combination with other treatments and there
can be no assurance that such use will not lead to unique safety issues. Failure to complete clinical trials or to prove that our
product candidates are safe and effective would have a material adverse effect on our ability to generate revenue and could require
us to reduce the scope of or discontinue our operations, which could cause you to lose all of your investment.
We face business disruption and related
risks resulting from the recent outbreak of the novel coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19), which could have a material adverse effect on
our business plan.
The development of our product candidates
could be disrupted and materially adversely affected by the recent outbreak of COVID-19. As a result of measures imposed by
the governments in affected regions, businesses and schools have been suspended due to quarantines intended to contain this
outbreak. The spread of COVID-19 from China to other countries has resulted in the Director General of the World Health
Organization declaring the outbreak of COVID-19 as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC), based on the
advice of the Emergency Committee under the International Health Regulations (2005), and the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention in the U.S. issued a warning on February 25, 2020 regarding the likely spread of COVID-19 to the U.S. While the
COVID-19 outbreak is still believed to be in early stages, international stock markets have experienced significant swings
due to the uncertainty associated with the slow-down in the global economy and the reduced levels of international travel and
commerce experienced since the beginning of January. We are still assessing our business plans and the impact COVID-19 may
have on our ability to recruit candidates for clinical trials or to raise financing to support the development of our product
candidates, but there can be no assurance that this analysis will enable us to avoid part or all of any impact from the
spread of COVID-19 or its consequences, including downturns in business sentiment generally or in our sector in
particular.
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We have no manufacturing experience,
and the failure to comply with all applicable manufacturing regulations and requirements could have a materially adverse effect
on our business.
We have never manufactured products in the
highly regulated environment of pharmaceutical manufacturing, and our team has limited experience in the manufacture of drug therapies.
There are numerous regulations and requirements that must be maintained to obtain licensure and permitting required prior to the
commencement of manufacturing, as well as additional requirements to continue manufacturing pharmaceutical products. We currently
do not own or lease facilities that could be used to manufacture any products that might be developed by us, and have contracted
with an experienced Contract Manufacturing Organization (“CMO”) to perform the manufacturing of our new product candidate
BIV201. In addition, we do not have the resources at this time to acquire or lease suitable facilities. If we or our CMO fail to
comply with regulations, to obtain the necessary licenses and knowhow or to obtain the requisite financing in order to comply with
all applicable regulations and to own or lease the required facilities in order to manufacture our products, we could be forced
to cease operations, which would cause you to lose all of your investment.
In addition, the FDA and other regulatory authorities
require that product candidates and drug products be manufactured according to current good manufacturing practices (“cGMP”).
Any failure by our third-party manufacturers to comply with cGMP could lead to a shortage of BIV201. In addition, such failure
could be the basis for action by the FDA to withdraw approval, if granted to us, and for other regulatory action, including seizure,
injunction or other civil or criminal penalties.
BIV201 and any other product candidate that
we develop may compete with other products and product candidates for access to manufacturing facilities. There are a limited number
of manufacturers that operate under cGMP regulations and that are both capable of manufacturing for us and willing to do so. If
we need to find another source of drug substance or drug product for BIV201, we may not be able to identify, or reach agreement
with, commercial-scale manufacturers on commercially reasonably terms, or at all. If we are unable to do so, we will need to develop
our own commercial-scale manufacturing capabilities, which would: impact commercialization of BIV201 in the U.S. and other countries
where it may be approved; require a capital investment by us that could be quite costly; and increase our operating expenses.
If our existing third-party manufacturers,
or the third parties that we engage in the future to manufacture a product for commercial sale or for our clinical trials, should
cease to continue to do so for any reason, we likely would experience significant delays in obtaining sufficient quantities of
product for us to meet commercial demand or to advance our clinical trials while we identify and qualify replacement suppliers.
If for any reason we are unable to obtain adequate supplies of BIV201 or any other product candidate that we develop, or the drug
substances used to manufacture it, it will be more difficult for us to compete effectively, generate revenue, and further develop
our products. In addition, if we are unable to assure a sufficient quantity of the drug for patients with rare diseases or conditions,
we may lose any Orphan Drug exclusivity to which the product otherwise would be entitled.
We do not currently have the sales and
marketing personnel necessary to sell products, and the failure to hire and retain such staff could have a materially adverse effect
on our business.
We are an early stage development company with
limited resources. Even if we had products available for sale, which we currently do not, we have not secured sales and marketing
staff at this early stage of operations to sell products. We cannot generate sales without sales or marketing staff and must rely
on officers to provide any sales or marketing services until such personnel are secured, if ever. If we fail to hire and retain
the requisite expertise in order to market and sell our products or fail to raise sufficient capital in order to afford to pay
such sales or marketing staff, then we could be forced to cease operations and you could lose all of your investment.
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Even if we were to successfully develop
approvable drugs, we will not be able to sell these drugs if we or our third-party manufacturers fail to comply with manufacturing
regulations, which could have a materially adverse effect on our business.
If we were to successfully develop approvable
drugs, before we can begin selling these drugs, we must obtain regulatory approval of our manufacturing facility and process or
the manufacturing facility and process of the third party or parties with whom we may outsource our manufacturing activities. In
addition, the manufacture of our products must comply with the FDA’s current Good Manufacturing Practices regulations, commonly
known as GMP regulations. The GMP regulations govern quality control and documentation policies and procedures. Our manufacturing
facilities, if any in the future, and the manufacturing facilities of our third-party manufacturers will be continually subject
to inspection by the FDA and other state, local and foreign regulatory authorities, before and after product approval. We cannot
guarantee that we, or any potential third-party manufacturer of our products, will be able to comply with the GMP regulations or
other applicable manufacturing regulations. The failure to comply with all necessary regulations would have a materially adverse
effect on our business and could force us to cease operations and you could lose all of your investment.
We must comply with significant and complex
government regulations, compliance with which may delay or prevent the commercialization of our product candidates, which could
have a materially adverse effect on our business.
The R&D, manufacture and marketing of product
candidates are subject to regulation, primarily by the FDA in the United States and by comparable authorities in other countries.
These national agencies and other federal, state, local and foreign entities regulate, among other things, R&D activities (including
testing in animals and in humans) and the testing, manufacturing, handling, labeling, storage, record keeping, approval, advertising
and promotion of the product that we are developing. Noncompliance with applicable requirements can result in various adverse consequences,
including approval delays or refusals to approve drug licenses or other applications, suspension or termination of clinical investigations,
revocation of approvals previously granted, fines, criminal prosecution, recalls or seizures of products, injunctions against shipping
drugs and total or partial suspension of production and/or refusal to allow a company to enter into governmental supply contracts.
The process of obtaining FDA approval has historically
been costly and time consuming. Current FDA requirements for a new human drug or biological product to be marketed in the United
States include: (a) the successful conclusion of pre-clinical laboratory and animal tests, if appropriate, to gain preliminary
information on the product’s safety; (b) filing with the FDA of an IND application to conduct human clinical trials for drugs
or biologics; (c) the successful completion of adequate and well-controlled human clinical investigations to establish the safety
and efficacy of the product for its recommended use; and (d) filing by a company and acceptance and approval by the FDA of a NDA
for a drug product or a biological license application (BLA) for a biological product to allow commercial distribution of the drug
or biologic. A delay in one or more of the procedural steps outlined above could be harmful to us in terms of getting our product
candidates through clinical testing and to market, which could have a materially adverse effect on our business.
The FDA reviews the results of the clinical
trials and may order the temporary or permanent discontinuation of clinical trials at any time if it believes the product candidate
exposes clinical subjects to an unacceptable health risk. Investigational drugs used in clinical studies must be produced in compliance
with cGMP rules pursuant to FDA regulations.
Sales outside the United States of products
that we develop will also be subject to regulatory requirements governing human clinical trials and marketing for drugs and biological
products and devices. The requirements vary widely from country to country, but typically the registration and approval process
takes several years and requires significant resources.
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If we experience delays or discontinuations
of our clinical trials by the FDA or comparable authorities in other countries, or if we fail to obtain registration or other approvals
of our products or devices then we could be forced to cease our operations and you will lose all of your investment.
Even if we are successful in developing BIV201,
our product candidate, we have limited experience in conducting or supervising clinical trials that must be performed to obtain
data to submit in concert with applications for approval by the FDA. The regulatory process to obtain approval for drugs for commercial
sale involves numerous steps. Drugs are subjected to clinical trials that allow development of case studies to examine safety,
efficacy, and other issues to ensure that sale of drugs meets the requirements set forth by various governmental agencies, including
the FDA. In the event that our protocols do not meet standards set forth by the FDA, or that our data is not sufficient to allow
such trials to validate our drugs in the face of such examination, we might not be able to meet the requirements that allow our
drugs to be approved for sale which could have a materially adverse effect on our business.
We can provide no assurance that our
product candidate will obtain regulatory approval or that the results of clinical studies will be favorable.
The business plan we have developed for the
next twenty-four months is to complete the Phase 2 clinical development program for our lead new product candidate BIV201, commence
a pivotal Phase 3 trial required for new drug approval, and to pursue other key milestones such as additional patent issuances.
Due to our financial constraints, we may not have the resources necessary to complete our application.. There is no guarantee the
FDA will approve a Phase 3 trial, and even if they do our financial constraints may prevent us from undertaking clinical trials.
Confidentiality agreements with employees
and others may not adequately prevent disclosure of trade secrets and other proprietary information and disclosure of our trade
secrets or proprietary information could compromise any competitive advantage that we have, which could have a materially adverse
effect on our business.
Our success depends, in part, on our ability
to protect our proprietary rights to the technologies used in our products. We depend heavily upon confidentiality agreements with
our officers, employees, consultants and subcontractors to maintain the proprietary nature of our technology. These measures may
not afford us complete or even sufficient protection, and may not afford an adequate remedy in the event of an unauthorized disclosure
of confidential information. If we fail to protect and/or maintain our intellectual property, third parties may be able to compete
more effectively against us, we may lose our technological or competitive advantage, and/or we may incur substantial litigation
costs in our attempts to recover or restrict use of our intellectual property. In addition, others may independently develop technology
similar to ours, otherwise avoiding the confidentiality agreements, or produce patents that would materially and adversely affect
our business, prospects, financial condition and results of operations, in which event you could lose all of your investment.
We may be unable to obtain or protect
intellectual property rights relating to our products, and we may be liable for infringing upon the intellectual property rights
of others, which could have a materially adverse effect on our business.
Our ability to compete effectively will depend
on our ability to maintain the proprietary nature of our technologies. We cannot assure investors that we will continue to innovate
and file new patent applications, or that if filed any future patent applications will result in granted patents with respect to
the technology owned by us or licensed to us. Further, we cannot predict how long it will take for such patents to issue, if at
all. The patent position of pharmaceutical or biotechnology companies, including ours, is generally uncertain and involves complex
legal and factual considerations and, therefore, validity and enforceability cannot be predicted with certainty. Patents may be
challenged, deemed unenforceable, invalidated or circumvented. For example, on November 13, 2019, the Patent Trial and Appeal Board
of the United States Patent and Trademark Office (the “PTAB”) issued a written decision in the inter partes
review action that was brought by Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals Ireland Limited (“Mallinckrodt”) against us. In that
action, Mallinckrodt sought to invalidate our previously-issued patent (U.S. Pat. No. 9,655,945, “Treatment of Ascites”)
(the “’945 Patent”). In its decision, the PTAB determined that all claims of the ‘945 Patent were not patentable
because they were either anticipated or obvious in light of prior art. The PTAB also denied our Motion to Amend the claims on similar
grounds. The result of the PTAB’s decision is that the ‘945 patent is no longer valid or enforceable.
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In April 2020, we filed an election to restrict
the claims of the Angeli et al. '945 patent application (a "continuation-in-part" filing) to those that we believe are
defensible in light of the IPR challenge. BioVie has also filed a US Provisional patent application and a PCT ("Patent Cooperation
Treaty") application in Europe covering our novel liquid formulations of terlipressin. We intend to seek global patent protection
for one or more of these new product candidates. We will be able to protect our proprietary rights from unauthorized use by third
parties only to the extent that our proprietary technologies, product candidates and any future products are covered by valid and
enforceable patents or are effectively maintained as trade secrets.
Any patents we do obtain may be challenged
by re-examination or otherwise invalidated or eventually found unenforceable. Both the patent application process and the process
of managing patent disputes can be time consuming and expensive. If we were to initiate legal proceedings against a third party
to enforce a patent related to one of our products or services, the defendant in such litigation could counterclaim that our patent
is invalid and/or unenforceable. In patent litigation in the U.S., defendant counterclaims alleging invalidity and/or unenforceability
are commonplace, as are validity challenges by the defendant against the subject patent or other patents before the USPTO. Grounds
for a validity challenge could be an alleged failure to meet any of several statutory requirements, including lack of novelty,
obviousness or non-enablement, failure to meet the written description requirement, indefiniteness, and/or failure to claim patent
eligible subject matter. Grounds for an unenforceability assertion could be an allegation that someone connected with prosecution
of the patent intentionally withheld material information from the USPTO, or made a misleading statement, during prosecution. Additional
grounds for an unenforceability assertion include an allegation of misuse or anticompetitive use of patent rights, and an allegation
of incorrect inventorship with deceptive intent. Third parties may also raise similar claims before the USPTO even outside the
context of litigation. The outcome is unpredictable following legal assertions of invalidity and unenforceability. With respect
to the validity question, for example, we cannot be certain that no invalidating prior art existed of which we and the patent examiner
were unaware during prosecution. These assertions may also be based on information known to us or the Patent Office. If a defendant
or third party were to prevail on a legal assertion of invalidity and/or unenforceability, we would lose at least part, and perhaps
all, of the claims of the challenged patent. Such a loss of patent protection would or could have a material adverse impact on
our business.
The standards that the United States Patent
and Trademark Office (and foreign countries) use to grant patents are not always applied predictably or uniformly and can change.
There is also no uniform, worldwide policy regarding the subject matter and scope of claims granted or allowable in pharmaceutical
or biotechnology patents. Accordingly, we do not know the degree of future protection for our proprietary rights or the breadth
of claims that will be allowed in any patents issued to us or to others.
Further, we rely on a combination of trade
secrets, know-how, technology and nondisclosure, and other contractual agreements and technical measures to protect our rights
in the technology. If any trade secret, know-how or other technology not protected by a patent were to be disclosed to or independently
developed by a competitor, our business and financial condition could be materially adversely affected. The laws of some foreign
countries do not protect our proprietary rights to the same extent as the laws of the U.S., and we may encounter significant problems
in protecting our proprietary rights in these countries.
We do not believe that BIV201, the product
candidate we are currently developing, infringes upon the rights of any third parties nor are they infringed upon by third parties.
However, there can be no assurance that our technology will not be found in the future to infringe upon the rights of others or
be infringed upon by others. Moreover, patent applications are in some cases maintained in secrecy until patents are issued. The
publication of discoveries in the scientific or patent literature frequently occurs substantially later than the date on which
the underlying discoveries were made and patent applications were filed. Because patents can take many years to issue, there may
be currently pending applications of which we are unaware that may later result in issued patents that our products or product
candidates infringe. For example, pending applications may exist that provide support or can be amended to provide support for
a claim that results in an issued patent that our product infringes. In such a case, others may assert infringement claims against
us, and should we be found to infringe upon their patents, or otherwise impermissibly utilize their intellectual property, we might
be forced to pay damages, potentially including treble damages, if we are found to have willfully infringed on such parties’
patent rights. In addition to any damages we might have to pay, we may be required to obtain licenses from the holders of this
intellectual property. We may fail to obtain any of these licenses or intellectual property rights on commercially reasonable terms.
Even if we are able to obtain a license, it may be non-exclusive, thereby giving our competitors access to the same technologies
licensed to us. In that event, we may be required to expend significant time and resources to develop or license replacement technology.
If we are unable to do so, we may be unable to develop or commercialize the affected products, which could materially harm our
business and the third parties owning such intellectual property rights could seek either an injunction prohibiting our sales,
or, with respect to our sales, an obligation on our part to pay royalties and/or other forms of compensation. Conversely, we may
not always be able to successfully pursue our claims against others that infringe upon our technology. Thus, the proprietary nature
of our technology or technology licensed by us may not provide adequate protection against competitors.
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The pharmaceutical industry is characterized
by extensive litigation regarding patents and other intellectual property rights. Moreover, the cost to us of any litigation or
other proceeding relating to our patents and other intellectual property rights, even if resolved in our favor, could be substantial,
and the litigation would divert our management’s efforts. We may not have sufficient resources to bring any such action to
a successful conclusion. Uncertainties resulting from the initiation and continuation of any litigation could limit our ability
to continue our operations and you could lose all of your investment.
We depend upon our management and their
loss or unavailability could put us at a competitive disadvantage which could have a material adverse effect on our business.
We currently depend upon the efforts and abilities
of our executive management team of Terren Peizer, our Chief Executive Officer, Jonathan Adams, our President and Chief Operating
Officer, and Wendy Kim, our Chief Financial Officer and Corporate Secretary. Mr. Adams serves the Company full-time and Ms. Kim
serves the Company part-time. The loss or unavailability of the services of either of these individuals for any significant period
of time could have a material adverse effect on our business, prospects, financial condition and results of operations which may
cause you to lose all of your investment. We have not obtained, do not own, nor are we the beneficiary of key-person life insurance.
We may not be able to attract and retain
highly skilled personnel, which could have a materially adverse effect on our business.
Our ability to attract and retain highly skilled
personnel is critical to our operations and expansion. We face competition for these types of personnel from other pharmaceutical
companies and more established organizations, many of which have significantly larger operations and greater financial, technical,
human and other resources than us. We may not be successful in attracting and retaining qualified personnel on a timely basis,
on competitive terms, or at all. If we are not successful in attracting and retaining these personnel, our business, prospects,
financial condition and results of operations will be materially and adversely affected.
The biotechnology and biopharmaceutical
industries are characterized by rapid technological developments and a high degree of competition. We may be unable to compete
with enterprises equipped with more substantial resources than us, which could cause us to curtail or cease operations.
The biotechnology and biopharmaceutical industries
are characterized by rapid technological developments and a high degree of competition based primarily on scientific and technological
factors. These factors include the availability of patent and other protection for technology and products, the ability to commercialize
technological developments and the ability to obtain government approval for testing, manufacturing and marketing.
We compete with biopharmaceutical firms in
the United States, Europe and elsewhere, as well as a growing number of large pharmaceutical companies that are applying biotechnology
to their operations. Many biopharmaceutical companies have focused their development efforts in the human therapeutics area. Many
major pharmaceutical companies have developed or acquired internal biotechnology capabilities or made commercial arrangements with
other biopharmaceutical companies. These companies, as well as academic institutions, government agencies and private research
organizations, also compete with us in recruiting and retaining highly qualified scientific personnel and consultants. Our ability
to compete successfully with other companies in the pharmaceutical field will also depend to a considerable degree on the continuing
availability of capital to us.
Although there are not currently any therapies
approved by the FDA specifically for the treatment of ascites due to liver cirrhosis, we still face significant competitive and
market risk. Other companies, such as Mallinckrodt Inc., are developing therapies for severe complications of advanced liver cirrhosis,
which may in the future be developed for the treatment of ascites, and these therapies could compete indirectly or directly with
our product candidate. There may be other competitive development programs of which we are unaware. Even if our product candidate
is ultimately approved by the FDA, there is no guarantee that once it is on the market doctors will adopt it in favor of current
ascites treatment procedures such as diuretics and paracentesis. These competitive and market risks could have a material adverse
effect on our business, prospects, financial condition and results of operations which may cause you to lose all of your investment.
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Our competition will be determined in part
by the potential indications for which drugs are developed and ultimately approved by regulatory authorities. Additionally, the
timing of the market introduction of some of our potential product candidate or of competitors’ products may be an important
competitive factor. Accordingly, the relative speed with which we can develop drugs, complete pre-clinical testing, clinical trials,
approval processes and supply commercial quantities to market are important competitive factors. We expect that competition among
drugs approved for sale will be based on various factors, including product efficacy, safety, reliability, availability, price
and patent protection.
The successful development of biopharmaceuticals
is highly uncertain. A variety of factors including, pre-clinical study results or regulatory approvals, could cause us to abandon
the development of our product candidates.
Successful development of biopharmaceuticals
is highly uncertain and is dependent on numerous factors, many of which are beyond our control.
Products that appear promising in the early
phases of development may fail to reach the market for several reasons. Pre-clinical study results may show the product to be less
effective than desired (e.g., the study failed to meet its primary objectives) or to have harmful or problematic side effects.
Products may fail to receive the necessary regulatory approvals or may be delayed in receiving such approvals. Among other things,
such delays may be caused by slow enrollment in clinical studies, length of time to achieve study endpoints, additional time requirements
for data analysis or a IND and later NDA, preparation, discussions with the FDA, an FDA request for additional pre-clinical or
clinical data or unexpected safety or manufacturing issues; manufacturing costs, pricing or reimbursement issues, or other
factors that make the product not economical. Proprietary rights of others and their competing products and technologies may also
prevent the product from being commercialized.
Success in pre-clinical and early clinical
studies does not ensure that large-scale clinical studies will be successful. Clinical results are frequently susceptible to varying
interpretations that may delay, limit or prevent regulatory approvals. The length of time necessary to complete clinical studies
and to submit an application for marketing approval for a final decision by a regulatory authority varies significantly from one
product to the next, and may be difficult to predict. There can be no assurance that any of our products will develop successfully,
and the failure to develop our products will have a materially adverse effect on our business and will cause you to lose all of
your investment.
There may be conflicts of interest among
our officers, directors and stockholders.
Certain of our executive officers and directors
and their affiliates are engaged in other activities and have interests in other entities on their own behalf or on behalf of other
persons. Neither we nor any of our shareholders will have any rights in these ventures or their income or profits. In particular,
our executive officers or directors or their affiliates may have an economic interest in or other business relationship with partner
companies that invest in us or are engaged in competing drug development. Our executive officers or directors may have conflicting
fiduciary duties to us and third parties. The terms of transactions with third parties may not be subject to arm’s length
negotiations and therefore may be on terms less favorable to us than those that could be procured through arm’s length negotiations.
Although we have established an audit committee comprised solely of independent directors to oversee transactions between us and
our insiders, we do not have any formal policies in place to deal with such conflicting fiduciary duties should such a conflict
arise.
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If we fail to maintain an effective system
of internal controls, we may not be able to accurately report our financial results or detect fraud. Consequently, investors could
lose confidence in our financial reporting and this may decrease the trading price of our common stock.
We must maintain effective internal controls
to provide reliable financial reports and detect fraud. We have concluded that our disclosure controls and procedures internal
controls, as well as internal controls over financial reporting, are effective. Failure to implement changes to our internal controls
or any others that we identify as necessary to establish an effective system of internal controls could harm our operating results
and cause investors to lose confidence in our reported financial information. Any such loss of confidence would have a negative
effect on the trading price of our common stock.
We may enter into employment agreements
with our executive officers and compensation payable thereunder may not be based on arms-length negotiations.
One of our current executive officers also
serves as the Chairman of our Board of Directors. Therefore, compensation which may be paid by us to our management under current
arrangements may not have been determined based on arms-length negotiations. We may grant stock options and other equity incentives
to our executive officers and directors that are consistent with the nature of the pharmaceutical industry. Although we have established
a compensation committee in connection with this offering comprised of only independent directors, there can be no assurance made
that the consideration which may be payable to management will reflect the true market value of services provided to us.
RISKS RELATING TO OUR COMMON STOCK
There is a risk of dilution of your percentage ownership of
Common Stock in the Company.
We have the right to raise additional capital or incur borrowings
from third parties to finance its business. We may also implement public or private mergers, business combinations, business acquisitions
and similar transactions pursuant to which it would issue substantial additional capital stock to outside parties, causing substantial
dilution in the ownership of the Company by our existing stockholders. Our Board of Directors has the authority, without the consent of any of the stockholders, to cause us to issue
more shares of common stock and/or preferred stock at such price and on such terms and conditions as are determined by the Board
of Directors in its sole discretion. As of August 3, 2020, there were warrants outstanding to purchase an aggregate of 124,667
shares of common stock at exercise prices ranging from $1.88 to $75.00 per share, excluding the Bridge Financing Warrants that
will be exercised automatically upon the closing of our currently planned uplisting offering at an exercise price equal to the
par value of the common stock. Any issuance of additional shares of capital stock by us will dilute your ownership percentage in
the Company and could impair our ability to raise capital in the future through the sale of equity securities.
Certain stockholders who are also officers
and directors of the Company may have significant control over our management.
Our directors and executive officers currently
own an aggregate 4,477,488 shares of our common stock as of August 3, 2020, which currently
constitutes 86.0% of our issued and outstanding common stock. As a result, directors and executive officers may have a significant
influence on our affairs and management, as well as on all matters requiring member approval, including electing and removing members
of our Board of Directors, causing us to engage in transactions with affiliated entities, causing or restricting our sale or merger,
and certain other matters. Our Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Terren Peizer, may be deemed to beneficially own the shares
held by Acuitas. Such concentration of ownership and control could have the effect of delaying, deferring or preventing a change
in control of us even when such a change of control would be in the best interests of our stockholders.
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There is not now, and there may never
be, an active, liquid and orderly trading market for our common stock, which may make it difficult for you to sell your shares
of our common stock .
There is not now, nor has there been since
our inception, any significant volume of trading activity in our common stock or an active market for shares of our common stock.
An active trading market for our securities may never develop or be sustained after this offering. As a result, investors in our
common stock must bear the economic risk of holding those securities for an indefinite period of time. Although our common stock
is quoted on the OTCQB Marketplace, or OTCQB, over-the-counter quotation system, trading of our common stock on such system has
only recently commenced and continues to be extremely limited and sporadic and at very low volumes. Although we are to applying
for listing on Nasdaq, an active trading market for our securities may never develop or be sustained. If an active market for our
securities does not develop, it may be difficult for you to sell the securities you purchase in this offering without depressing
the market price for such securities or at all. Further, an unestablished trading market for our securities may also impair our
ability to raise capital by selling additional equity in the future, and may impair our ability to enter into strategic partnerships
or acquire companies or products by using shares of our common stock as consideration.
We may, in the future, issue additional
common stock, which would reduce investors’ percent of ownership and may dilute our share value.
As of August 3, 2020, our Articles of
Incorporation authorize the issuance of 800,000,000 shares of common stock. As of August 3, 2020 we had 5,204,392 shares of
common stock outstanding. Accordingly, we may issue up to an additional 793,157,292 shares of common stock. The future
issuance of common stock may result in substantial dilution in the percentage of our common stock held by our then existing
shareholders. We may value any common stock in the future on an arbitrary basis. The issuance of common stock for future
services or acquisitions or other corporate actions may have the effect of diluting the value of the shares held by our
investors, might have an adverse effect on any trading market for our common stock and could impair our ability to raise
capital in the future through the sale of equity securities.
We have a large number of restricted
shares outstanding, a portion of which may be sold under Rule 144 which may reduce the market price of our shares.
Of the 5,204,392 shares of common stock issued
and outstanding as of August 3, 2020, 726,904 shares are held by non-affiliates
and 4,477,488 are owned by affiliates of the Company, consisting of our officers and directors or entities controlled by them.
The majority of our common stock, including all of the affiliates' securities are deemed "restricted securities" within
the meaning of Rule 144 as promulgated under the Securities Act.
It is anticipated that all of the “restricted
securities” will be eligible for resale under Rule 144. In general, under Rule 144, subject to the satisfaction of certain
other conditions, a person, who is not an affiliate (and who has not been an affiliate for a period of at least three months immediately
preceding the sale) and who has beneficially owned restricted shares of our common stock for at least six months is permitted to
sell such shares without restriction, provided that there is sufficient public information about us as contemplated by Rule 144.
An affiliate who has beneficially owned restricted shares of our common stock for a period of at least one year may sell a number
of shares equal to one percent of our issued and outstanding common stock approximately every three months.
The respective holding periods for certain
shares issued to affiliates and non-affiliates holding restricted securities commenced and were issued between May 17, 2013 and
June 30, 2013. The possibility that substantial amounts of our common stock may be sold under Rule 144 into the public market may
adversely affect prevailing market prices for the common stock and could impair our ability to raise capital in the future through
the sale of equity securities.
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Any failure to maintain effective internal
control over financial reporting could harm us.
Our management is responsible for establishing
and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting. Internal control over financial reporting is a process designed
to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements in
accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”). Under standards established by the Public Company
Accounting Oversight Board (“PCAOB”), a deficiency in internal control over financial reporting exists when the design
or operation of a control does not allow management or personnel, in the normal course of performing their assigned functions,
to prevent or detect misstatements on a timely basis. The PCAOB defines a material weakness as a deficiency, or combination of
deficiencies, in internal control over financial reporting, such that there is a reasonable possibility that a material misstatement
of annual or interim financial statements will not be prevented, or detected and corrected, on a timely basis.
If we are unable to assert that our internal
control over financial reporting is effective, or when required in the future, if our independent registered public accounting
firm is unable to express an unqualified opinion as to the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting, investors
may lose confidence in the accuracy and completeness of our financial reports, the market price of our common stock could be adversely
affected and we could become subject to litigation or investigations by the stock exchange on which our securities are listed,
the SEC or other regulatory authorities, which could require additional financial and management resources.
The lack of public company experience
of our management team could adversely impact our ability to comply with the reporting requirements of U.S. securities laws, which
could have a materially adverse effect on our business.
Our officers have limited public company experience,
which could impair our ability to comply with legal and regulatory requirements such as those imposed by Sarbanes-Oxley Act of
2002. Such responsibilities include complying with federal securities laws and making required disclosures on a timely basis. Any
such deficiencies, weaknesses or lack of compliance could have a materially adverse effect on our ability to comply with the reporting
requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), which is necessary to maintain
our public company status. If we were to fail to fulfill those obligations, our ability to continue as a U.S. public company would
be in jeopardy in which event you could lose your entire investment in our Company.
We are considered a smaller reporting
company and is exempt from certain disclosure requirements, which could make our stock less attractive to potential investors.
Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act defines a “smaller
reporting company” as an issuer that is not an investment company, an asset-backed issuer, or a majority-owned subsidiary
of a parent that is not a smaller reporting company and that:
·
Had a public float of less than $250 million as of the last business day of its most recently completed fiscal quarter, computed by multiplying the aggregate number of worldwide number of shares of its voting and non-voting common equity held by non-affiliates by the price at which the common equity was last sold, or the average of the bid and asked prices of common equity, in the principle market for the common equity; or
·
In the case of an initial registration statement under the Securities Act or the Exchange Act for shares of its common equity, had a public float of less than $250 million as of a date within 30 days of the date of the filing of the registration statement, computed by multiplying the aggregate worldwide number of such shares held by non-affiliates before the registration plus, in the case of a Securities Act registration statement, the number of such shares included in the registration statement by the estimated public offering price of the shares; or
·
In the case of an issuer who had annual revenue of less than $100 million during the most recently completed fiscal year for which audit financial statements are available, had a public float as calculated under paragraph (1) or (2) of this definition that was either zero or less than $700 million.
As a “smaller reporting company”
we are not required and may not include a Compensation Discussion and Analysis (“CD&A”) section in our proxy statements;
we provide only 3 years of business development information; provide fewer years of selected data; and have other “scaled”
disclosure requirements that are less comprehensive than issuers that are not “smaller reporting companies” which could
make our stock less attractive to potential investors, which could make it more difficult for you to sell your shares.
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We have not held regular annual meetings
of stockholders in the past, and if we are required by the Nevada District Court to hold an annual meeting pursuant to Nevada Revised
Statutes §78.345(1), it could result in the unanticipated expenditure of funds, time and other Company resources.
Section 1 of Article II of our bylaws provides
that an annual meeting of stockholders shall be held each year on a date and at a time designated by our Board of Directors. Section
78.345(1) of the Nevada Revised Statutes provides that if there is a failure to hold the annual meeting for a period of 18 months
after the last election of directors, stockholders owning at least 15% of the voting power of the outstanding common stock may
apply to the Nevada district court to order the election of directors.
We have not held regular annual meetings of
stockholders in the past because a substantial majority of our stock is owned by a small number of stockholders, making it easy
to obtain written consent in lieu of a meeting when necessary. In light of our historical liquidity constraints, handling matters
by written consent has allowed us to save on financial and administrative resources required to prepare for and hold such annual
meetings. Pursuant to Nasdaq’s corporate governance requirements, we will be obligated to hold regular annual meetings of
stockholders in the future, and it is currently contemplated that the we will hold such meetings beginning in 2021.
To our knowledge, no stockholder or director
has requested our management to hold such an annual meeting and no stockholder or director has applied to the Nevada district court
seeking an order directing us to hold a meeting of stockholders. However, if one or more stockholders or directors were to apply
to the Nevada district court seeking such an order, and if the Nevada district court were to order an annual meeting before we
were prepared to hold one, the preparation for the annual meeting of stockholders and the meeting itself could result in the unanticipated
expenditure of funds, time, and other Company resources.
We are subject to the periodic reporting
requirements of the Exchange Act, which require us to incur audit fees and legal fees in connection with the preparation of such
reports. These additional costs will negatively affect our ability to earn a profit.
We are required to file periodic reports with
the SEC pursuant to the Exchange Act and the rules and regulations thereunder. In order to comply with such requirements, our independent
registered auditors have to review our financial statements on a quarterly basis and audit our financial statements on an
annual basis. Moreover, our legal counsel has to review and assist in the preparation of such reports. Factors such as the number
and type of transactions that we engage in and the complexity of our reports cannot accurately be determined at this time and may
have a major negative effect on the cost and amount of time to be spent by our auditors and attorneys. However, the incurrence
of such costs is an expense to our operations and thus has a negative effect on our ability to meet our overhead requirements and
earn a profit.
Because we do not intend to pay any cash
dividends on our common stock, our stockholders will not be able to receive a return on their shares unless they sell them.
We intend to retain any future earnings to
finance the development and expansion of our business. We do not anticipate paying any cash dividends on our common stock in the
foreseeable future. Unless we pay dividends, our stockholders will not be able to receive a return on their shares unless they
sell them. There is no assurance that stockholders will be able to sell shares when desired.
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ITEM 1B.
UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS
None.
ITEM 2.
PROPERTIES
On October 1, 2018, the Company executed
a lease agreement with Acuitas Group Holdings, LLC (related party) for the Company’s office space at 2120 Colorado Avenue,
Santa Monica, CA 90404. The lease is a month-to-month lease that may be cancelled upon 30 days’ written notice and requires
monthly payments of $1,000.
Text extracted from the filing as submitted to EDGAR. Formatting, tables and exhibits are simplified for reading; the original document is authoritative for anything you rely on.